“The reason that most of us seem to have a consistent character is that most of us are really good at controlling our environment.”  - Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point

If you want employees to be creative, you build a safe environment for them to explore and experiment.

If you want your children to be honest with you, you make it safe for them to tell you things you may not want to hear.

Context is important. To achieve our goals, we need to engineer an environment where those goals are achievable.

Doing good is no exception.

In Switch, Dan and Chip Heath write that people “look to others for cues about how to behave”.  They cite an example of a study by Dr. Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School that found obesity to be contagious.  When someone became obese, the odds that their friends would also become obese tripled. Dr. Christakis’s explanation was that “You change your idea of what is an acceptable body type by looking at people around you.”

So if people look to one another for cues on what an OK body type is, or how much to tip, or how much to work, the logic goes that we also look to one another for cues on doing good. If you’re surrounded by people who do good things, chances are that you will too.

So mind your context. How do you fit into the world? Who is around you? Are they happy?  What behaviors do you observe?

There is such power in this understanding of context, because context is within our control to change.  Good people create a wake of goodness. Those contagious good deeds, one by one, create a context where “good” is the norm.

Then you close the door. And you take a deep breath. And say fuck it and move on. You’ll just go to the store and get a new whateveritisyouwanted. Or you’ll figure out how to do without. Even though that green highlighter would have kept the look of your document consistent.

Now, imagine an office supply closet. You open the door and peek inside. You see nothing but a stack of white paper and a pen.

It’s simple. No complications. No mess. A pen and paper.

But this is 2010-fast approaching 2011. We NEED ink cartridges. We need post-it notes. We need 30 different colors of highlighters. This is a complex world. And we need complex tools and systems to function within it.

Now, imagine an office supply closet. You open the door and peek inside. You see neat rows of post-it notes organized by size and color. Easily labeled. You see pens in a separate basket than pencils. Highlighters are in the next bin, separated by color. Ink cartridges are labeled neatly and organized by color and printer match. Staples are in a drawer labeled “staples”, next to a stapler. Everything has a home. Everything has a label. There is a method. This closet is organized.

Which of these three closets would you prefer to have?

I’ve been seeing a trend lately; “experts” calling on people to Simplify.  But this is a complex world. Henry David Thoreau couldn’t stay in Walden-land forever. And these days we have even MORE clutter to sift through: beurocratic, systematic, literal, etc.

Simplicity isn’t minimalism. It’s not erasing everything and going back to nothing. True simplicity is taking control of the clutter and figuring it out. It’s knowing where to find that green highlighter whenever you need it. It is making your tools work for you.

True simplicity is organized complexity.

We all know them, those people who constantly complain about how things should be. Nothing ever seems good enough for them. All they do is complain.

But be cautious of lumping these people into the complainer bin and casting their thoughts aside, there are optimists hidden beneath the “pessimist” label.

If you’re complaining just to complain, then go take a walk. No one wants to hang around you. Your negative energy is draining.

Many of you, I know, are not just complaining, though. You’re envisioning what COULD be. You’re hoping that this isn’t it. That people are kinder, smarter, and more generous than we appear. That the systems we have in place can be fixed. That  creativity and ingenuity will lead to change that will make this world a better place. What could be more optimistic than that!?

Blind and happy acceptance of the status quo is dangerous, stifling, and regressive. We don’t reach new horizons of understand, invent or reinvent technology, and improve the world around us when we smile pleasantly and accept what’s been given to us.

The true optimists are labeled contrarians and pessimists too often, but without that argumentative, contrarian bug that so many of these people have, and without their ability to envision and voice how things could be, progress stops.

These people who bitch, moan, and complain about the world could very well be the biggest optimists on the planet, we must be careful not to dismiss them. It is these people whose discontentment leads to some of the greatest achievements and advancements we’ve ever seen.  Discontentment breeds vision. If you’re unhappy with how something works, you can probably imagine it working better a different way.

It’s what you do with that vision that matters and defines who you are.

Action separates the pessimists from pseudo-pessimists. The worst kind of pessimist is the one who appears to an optimist but does nothing to help the world reach his vision of what could be.

It’s not enough to have a cheerful outlook. It’s not enough to have a grim outlook but with a vision of our potential. What makes us who we are and what makes the world what it is, is action. So whether you’re a pessimist, a misunderstood optimist, or a happy cog in a system, be who you are. But follow through. Act on who you claim to be.

Over and over again we hear the for-profit vs. non-profit debate about which is better for helping good causes and changing the world.

But we’ve also heard people (ok- our parents) repeat that we have to be able to help ourselves before we can help others. In other words, before raising money for a cause you’re passionate about, you should probably be able to pay your rent. Or feed yourself. Or keep the lights on.

So shouldn’t this translate into how we approach causes and doing good? If an organization is struggling to pay rent and keep the lights on, that is going to be their focus, not the cause.

These types of organizations will spend their limited time and resources in search of donations and government funding – imagine how much time and energy they’re losing for their mission!

This is where sustainability comes in. I’m not talking about being green and conserving the environment (although that’s great too). I am talking about conducting business in a way that generates enough revenue to pay your bills and pursue your mission.

As far as I see it, there are two ways this can be achieved.

1. Make marketing part of your non-profit’s mission. If you insist on going the non-profit route, then you must integrate marketing into your mission. Tell the world about this cause that you’re passionate about. Raise awareness. Urge action. Communicate. Engage.
2. Or start a business that can support your mission and fund your cause.

Look at TOM’S Shoes. For each pair of shoes sold, they donate one to children in developing countries who can’t afford shoes. Without shoes, these kids get sick (cuts) and can’t go to school (schools don’t allow barefoot children). Without proper education, the cycle that keeps these children poor begins again.

TOM’S could have been a non-profit that asked for donations to send shoes to children. They would have spent all of their time asking for donations, and competing with a million other causes for resources.

Instead, they created a viable business, made an in-demand products that people were happy to support, and donated more shoes than they otherwise could to children in need.

What else did TOM’S do? They created jobs and enabled millions of people to become micro-philanthropists.  This is a win/win/win/win/win.

Sometimes they hit me so hard they leave me in a state of confusion, of paralysis, of overwhelmed exasperation.  Choices. Decisions. Opportunities.

This great gift that I have- this freedom to live my life the way I choose- sometimes fills me with guilt and anxiety. Because with freedom comes responsibility.

When I think about all of the people in this world who have so much less, and who lack the luxury of freedom of choice, it makes each decision I have to make heavier and heavier.

I am living and deciding not just for myself, but also for those who can’t.

Anne Frank wrote, “Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

Her potential was taken from her. So it is my duty –and yours- to life with purpose and meaning. Because she couldn’t.

Viktor Frankl wrote that there are three ways to find meaning:

1. Create work or do a deed
2. Experience something or encounter someone
3. Control your attitude in the face of unavoidable suffering

Anne Frank, facing some of the biggest horrors our planet has ever faced, found it within herself to dream, hope, and see the good in everyone.  Her “why” was hope, love, and potential. She could control her reactions to unavoidable suffering.

My why is to create work and do deeds where I help people discover their Whys and enable them to do good. Everyone is capable of being a part of Generation Good, if we can help one another find our purpose and enable each other to spread compassion, gratitude, and love, we can collectively change the world.

What’s your why? What is your meaning?

The conversation really does come full circle where Jon talks about how he views his role in the world both before and after the body of the interview.

I just can’t express enough how much I hope you all have a look at this and think about what he is actually saying. It’s kind of long, but more philosophy, honesty, optimism, and empowerment is packed into this than you could ever hope for.

Thanks to Jon for articulating the absurdity of the world. And for reminding us that it is within OUR power to change it. He has led this horse to water…now let’s drink up, Gen Good!
http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2010/11/12/jon-stewart-on-the-rachel-maddow-show/

It seems silly to categorize people by age when our motivations, actions, passions, and interests are what define us. GenGood cuts across all those previously drawn silos and inspires and unites people to do good together.

We will create a series of videos for the web that showcase members of GenGood. We will interview CEOs of companies with a track record of environmental responsibility. We will interview young moms starting businesses that help educate people about nutrition. We will interview leaders of non-profit organizations helping people with disabilities, bringing clean water to villages in Africa, and feeding impoverished children so they can achieve in school. We will interview young kids who understand they are privileged and want to give back to the world. And we will share the stories of retirees starting second careers and helping others. We will spread this message via a website, blog, videos, magazine articles, events, and books.

There is a need for an elevated level of discourse about giving back. We are past “raising awareness” and we are now in action mode. With the resources we have, and the technological links that are bridging all of our differences, it is our duty to act on our promises and our innate desire to see things change.

We are aware, intelligent, privileged, and hopeful for a better world. GenGood will share our stories and encourage more of us to act.